Officials investigating after Ohio school district victim of hoax threat for a fourth time

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Students and staff are back in class after another threat was sent to the Huntington Local School District in Ross County. It's the fourth threat in a month. According to a Facebook post by the school, students are currently in the building under a modified lockdown. "Students are to remain in the classroom as much as possible. They’re not to be in the hallways in between classes or anything like that." The building was thoroughly checked last night and again this morning, confirming no unauthorized entry overnight. Multiple law enforcement agencies are on site Thursday, with Homeland Security deploying a SkyWatch Tower to monitor activity. The FBI is working to trace the origin of the calls, and a canine unit is present on campus. We remain vigilant and believe it is important for our students to be in the classroom," the district said in a statement on social media. The school also acknowledged the anxiety the situation may cause, but expressed confidence in safely proceeding with school today, based on precautionary measures and law enforcement guidance. "They said it was safe. I took their word, and I sent them off to school," Kelly Workman, a parent and grandparent, said. "It’s in the back of my mind." "We understand the anxiety this situation may cause for students, staff, and families, and we are working closely with law enforcement to identify the source of these threats," the school said. This threat comes after multiple other threats in the past week have caused the school to close. "Is it somebody just out of state pranking or doing these awful things, or is it somebody here in our community that’s scaring our children?" Cassy Blair, a parent, said. Blair described a phone call she had received from her 13-year-old during one of these threats. "To hear your kid terrified and begging you to come get them, it’s awful," she said. "But now that it just keeps happening, it’s just like here we go again." "One of the threats was during school, and they all got sent outside with no coats," Workman added. "They were all scared who was going to pick them up, where were they going to get met at." Blair told ABC 6 she also has a kindergartener at the school and has had a difficult time explaining this situation to her son. "Bad people are saying bad things, which is why we are leaving the school," she said. Parents said that after being out of school for a week due to the snow, these ongoing threats are the last disruption their kids need. "The sheriff’s department could be doing so many other things, and they’re sitting at our school because somebody wants to call and make up lies," Blair said. The FBI issued the ABC 6 newsroom a statement regarding the threats: The FBI is aware of a number of hoax threats. The FBI addresses these threats with the utmost seriousness, as they put innocent lives at risk and are a federal crime. While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately. _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WSYX on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WSYXABC6 WSYX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wsyx6 WSYX on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wsyx6/ Subscribe to WSYX on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6HHWRGuLD11spg9DxKAZlQ//?sub_confirmation=1 Daily News Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVJHjLYVOrAgtGirvHOL3kyw3nSkjE33o For more information, visit https://abc6onyourside.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 614.481.6659 WSYX and WTTE are OH based stations owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WSYX #ABC6 #News #WSYX6 #6OnYourSide